Ashley Fike in Vice:
Meditation has gone through a lot of phases. Cushions, apps, cold plunges, pretending a walk to Trader Joe’s counts as spiritual practice… Japan has now added a new one for the committed and the curious, coffin-lying, where people climb into a real coffin for a timed session and sit with the one topic everyone avoids until they can’t.
The naturally morbid idea is already showing up in a few places, including a Tokyo relaxation salon called Meiso Kukan Kanoke-in. The pitch is to help you slow down and examine your life. It offers “a meditation experience where you can gaze at life through being conscious of death.” If this sounds like a bizarre fad, it’s actually quite popular in Japan. Customers pick an open or closed casket, then spend about 30 minutes inside. Some versions include music or visuals. Some go for silence and stillness, which is an ambitious choice inside a box built for funerals.
More here.
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